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The Goal of My Life

Fear is one of the best motivators, and I was very afraid that I would be part of the team that lost to the Russians. 

Canada is not a big nation, but hockey is our game. 

Everyone on the team felt a responsibility to win. 

I had confidence that our team was better than the Russians, but it never entered my mind that it would be me that scored that last goal.  

It certainly gave me a stature that I would not have had without it.  I wish I could have handled things a little better at that point – been more mature.  If I had a spiritual dimension to my life at the time, I know I would have.

Back then, I had fulfilled most of my boyhood dreams, and I knew I was a very fortunate and blessed individual.  Yet there was a restlessness, a discontentment in the centre of my being, that I could not ignore.  I was angry, bitter and frustrated, and there were things about my life that I didn't know how to handle.  Things were not going well with the Maple Leafs, the team I was playing on, and I was having a lot of conflicts with the owner.  Here I was playing in the NHL, doing something that I had always strived for, but I had become more bitter and angry than I had ever been in my life.

So I started drinking as a way to soothe the pain.  I think if you are frustrated and angry, you look for a way out.  You get with the boys and you try to 'make merry,' but you wake up the next morning and it's still there.

Fortunately, a friend encouraged me to examine the claims of Jesus. He told me that I hadn't taken care of my soul and had never really looked at what was on the inside.  That made sense to me, so I started to read the Bible and look into Jesus.  Jesus claimed to be God, and He said He loved me and wanted to give me eternal life.  After a two-year search, I became convinced He loved me and wanted me to get to know Him.

However, it was a real struggle for me to become a Christian for a number of reasons.  I had always prided myself in being a self-made man.  I was used to being in control of my life.  I was also afraid of what my friends would think and I still looked at Christianity's 'do's and don'ts' and thought that it was too narrow.  How could I be a 'man's man' and a Christian, I thought.  I was worried that I would have to give up too much.  To top it all off, I read in the Bible that if I really loved God I wouldn't be afraid to tell others about Him.  But if I became a Christian I didn't want to tell anyone about it.  That led to a lot of frustration, because I was not able to step over the line.

One day I just couldn't fight it any longer.  I threw all my fears aside and I said to God,  "I am fearful, and I don't want to tell anyone about this."  And then I gave my life to the Lord.

Since that day, I have never been the same.  God has had a positive impact in every area of my life.  Most importantly, He has taken away my anger and bitterness.  My life certainly hasn't been trouble free. 

One of the most challenging times in my life was when my wife was in the hospital and I thought I was going to lose her.  I was mad at God, but I realized that night that life is a gift from God, and I decided right then to place everything in my life in His hands.  

He had proven Himself to me over the years with His faithfulness, and I knew that I had no choice but to surrender my life to Him.  Now the inner quietness, contentment and peace I experience on a daily basis assures me that His promise to love and care for me is true and real.  

And best of all, I look forward to spending eternity with Him.

What about you?  Are you wondering what life is all about?  Do you, like Paul, feel that something is missing in your life?  If so, you can find fulfilment and peace through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Bible says (Jesus is speaking), "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3.20).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins and to make us what He wants us to be.  Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough.  Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience.  We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our will.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer.  Praying is simply talking to God.  God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.  Here's a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally.  Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins.  I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord.  Take control of my life.  Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life.  Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?  You can pray it right now and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life.  As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you'll experience life to the fullest.

This article is used with permission from  Power to Change.